Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-07
The Royal Caste.

An occasion like the jubilee brings
out very sharply the singular social
position OF the royal caste Of Europe.
That caste, which consists essentially of
two families or clans-all the Catholic
and the Protestant royalties being
more or less closely related either by
marriage or by blood, is growing nu-
merous-is more prominent owing to
the increase of INSTRUMENTATION,
and tends to become q minute but
closely knit aristocracy, claiming, and
in certain ways securing, position
greatly above that of the European no.
bility. The precedence of its members,
besides being uncontested, as that of
no noble is, is European instead of
local, and is accompanied, and. as it
were, marked by a deferential and
even slavish respect, which was once
paid also to the mobiles, but is now in
their cases slowly butperceptibly dying
away. No noble is now beyond the law,
as some of the princes at least
G. e., the heads of the rnediatized
families-undoubtedly are, point
only tested recently, when the eldest
Fugger, Jesuit priest, as prince OF
the empire defed the law decreeing
the expulsion of his order 1t is
curious mark of grade. but it is a very
real one, that on the continent OF Eu-
rope q prince is the only man, except a
priest, who cannot be compelled to &C
cept challenge. He has, theoretical
", no equal except in his own caste,
and even imperious military opin-
ion acknowledges his exemption.
Certain forces, too, are observed
in receiving and in address
ing royalties which are not
maintained for any other human beings,
and they are waited on even by mobiles,
as gentlemen would be ashamed to
wait on the members OF any other class.
Though, as rule, net wealthy, and
undistinguished either by intellectual
ability Or service to the State to which
they belong, they are everywhere
treated as "the first" and maintain,
without exciting envy, an exclusiveness
as rigid as that of Indian Brahmins or
pious Jews. They marry only among
themselves; they claim and enforce a
special marriage privilege, which il, in
fact, right to have their recognized
concubines acknowledged by society
and though the fortunes some of them
possess are distributed with strange
inequality, and they begin to be solicit
tous for wealth, yet they resist with
immovsble tenacity what must be
the severe temptation to absorb
the great heiresses OF European
society. A Colonna may marry
the daughter Of the greatest oil
American money-makers, and the
deregation is forgiven for the gain, but
the poorest Hohenzollern or Bourbon
may not stoop to the most beautiful oil
accomplished lady of many millions
They begin more and more to associate
only with each other, roaming ovel
Europe to avoid the tedium of too-con
tracted social circle and at all ceremo
NAL functions they supercede alike the
mobiles and the statesmen. In the
arrangements for this jubilee, for ex
ample, "the princess, known and I'M,
known, illustrious and obscure, are al
alike in front, and the great mobiles and
high. placed personages OF the realm,
soldiers or statesmen or diplomatists,
are all relegated to the crowd. Nc
noble except Lord Lorne appeared IL
the procession as an invited guest, and
the exception only made the rule more
conspicuous.